Local Roundup -- Published May 16, 2013

Thursday

May 16, 2013 at 12:01 AM

LODI - After pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third inning, Manteca's Jacob Corn was part of a four-run outburst in the bottom of the frame to help the Buffaloes earn a 6-1 win over Placerville-El Dorado in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV baseball playoffs on Wednesday at Zupo Field.

The Record

LODI - After pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third inning, Manteca's Jacob Corn was part of a four-run outburst in the bottom of the frame to help the Buffaloes earn a 6-1 win over Placerville-El Dorado in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV baseball playoffs on Wednesday at Zupo Field.

With two out in the third inning, Corn gave up a single, a double and a walk to load the bases. Corn struck out the next batter - one of 10 he had in the game - to end the threat.

"That felt good to get out of that jam," Corn said. "I think I got him on the curve ball. But I shouldn't have got myself into that jam in the first place."

In the bottom of the inning, back-to-back singles by Dominick Pisano and Ezequiel Diaz followed by an error off the bat of Lucas Vaughn loaded the bases for Buddy Reeder, who singled in a run. Diaz was forced out when Corn reached on a fielder's choice that left the bases loaded for Michael Garibay, who singled in Vaughn and Reeder, and Alex Jorgenson, who knocked in Corn on a single to make the score 4-0. Diaz and Vaughn added consecutive two-out RBI doubles in the fourth.

This was the first playoff win for Manteca (17-7) over El Dorado (19-9) in three tries.

"We played them three years ago and it went 10 innings, and we played them last year and it went 10 innings," Buffaloes coach Gene Ballardo said. "And this year we finally got them."

Manteca begins a best-of-three series with Modesto-Central Catholic at noon Saturday at Zupo Field.

At Lodi, the Raiders' Chandler Bengston ended the pitchers' duel in a hurry.

With two out in the bottom of the third and no score, the Central Catholic sophomore crushed a 1-1 offering nearly halfway up the right-field light standard, opening the flood gates for the first two of seven runs in a six-hit inning for the Raiders (22-5).

"It's never fun when you finish a season like this," Timberwolves coach Jack Thomson said. "But we had a good year to get to where we did."

Matt Palazzo kept Sierra (16-10-1) hitless into the sixth inning before Kyle Oden legged out an infield single. After walking the second and third batters of the game, Palazzo retired 14 out of the next 15 he faced, 11 via strikeout. In six innings, Palazzo allowed just one hit, struck out 13 and the Timberwolves did not hit a ball out of the infield.

"Their pitcher was very good," Thomson said. "He struggled with his command a little early on but after the third inning he was lights out."

- Dave Campbell, Record Correspondent

Sierra's Allie Walljasper, The Record's 2011 Softball Player of the Year, and Kimball's Ariana Hawkins, a two-time All-Area first-team selection, were named the Valley Oak League's co-Most Valuable Players, the league announced.

Walljasper, a junior, is 18-2 with 15 complete games, 12 shutouts, 227 strikeouts and a 0.61 earned-run average. She also is an offensive threat, hitting .481 with 20 RBI, two doubles, two triples and four home runs. Hawkins is hitting .615 with nine doubles, four triples, three homers and 43 RBI.

Sierra's Sommer Wilson was the Offensive Player of the Year and East Union's Jordan Vinson was the Defensive Player of the Year.